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Washington, Sept 15: NASA’s $3.9 billion Cassini spacecraft Friday ended its 20-year-long groundbreaking journey with a fiery plunge into Saturn’s crushing atmosphere, beaming back never-before-seen images of the ringed planet and its mysterious moons until the last moment.
Operators deliberately made Cassini, the first spacecraft to orbit Saturn, dive into the gas giant to ensure that the planet’s moons — in particular Enceladus, with its subsurface ocean and signs of hydrothermal activity — remain pristine for future exploration.
“Our spacecraft has entered Saturn’s atmosphere, and we have received its final transmission,” NASA said in a tweet.
“Every time we see Saturn in the night sky, we’ll remember. We’ll smile. And we’ll want to go back,” the US space agency said.
The spacecraft’s fateful dive was the final beat in the mission’s Grand Finale, 22 weekly dives, which began in late April, through the gap between Saturn and its rings.
No spacecraft has ever ventured so close to the planet before, NASA said.
“I hope you are all as deeply proud of this amazing accomplishment. Congratulations to you all. This has been an incredible mission, incredible spacecraft and you were all incredible team,” Earl Maize, Cassini mission manager, said while announcing the end of the mission at 5.25 pm IST.
The $3.9 billion mission continued to transmit data back to the Earth till the last minute before it came apart and was burned up like a meteor in Saturn’s atmosphere.
The unmanned orbiter tore through the atmosphere at the speed of 1,13,000 kilometres per hour. Contact was lost with the Cassini spacecraft a minute after it reached an altitude of about 1,500 kilometres above the planet’s estimated cloud tops.
Within about 30 seconds following loss of signal, the spacecraft came apart; and within a couple of minutes, all remnants of the spacecraft were consumed in the atmosphere of Saturn, NASA said.
“Earth received CassiniSaturn’s final signal at 7:55 am ET. Cassini is now part of the planet it studied. Thanks for the science,” NASA tweeted.
TRIP TIMELINE
October 15, 1997: Launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
April 26, 1998: Venus flyby
June 24, 1999: Second flyby of Venus
August 18, 1999: Earth flyby
December 30, 2000: Begins
six-month swing by Jupiter. Collaborates with Galileo to study Jovian system
June 30, 2004: Cassini arrives at Saturn
December 13, 2004: First flyby of Saturn’s moons Titan and Dione
December 24, 2004: Cassini releases Huygens probe at Saturn’s moon Titan
January 14, 2005: Huygens probe makes descent through Titan’s atmosphere
June 2008: Primary mission completed. Begins mission extension: Cassini Equinox Mission
September 2010: Cassini Equinox Mission completed. Begins second mission extension: Cassini Solstice Mission
September 2017: Completes Cassini Solstice Mission